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Teaching city-slickers to understand and appreciate the total concept of American agriculture is the goal of this year’s L.A. County Fair at Fairplex in Pomona. The Fair, which runs from Sept. 12-28, will feature a new attraction, The Big Red Barn, which is located in FairView Farm’s Barn 9A. The Big Red Barn will give kids and adults alike the opportunity to become acquainted with the natural behavior of different kinds of livestock from cows to hogs, donkeys, sheep and goats.
Set inside The Big Red Barn is a park-like atmosphere complete with a tree-lined path. Fairguests can walk the path, which winds around several displays like the Farm House Friends Petting Barn and The Pasture, where livestock will be allowed to roam freely within the pasture.
Kids can also participate in Farmer for a Day, where they can ride a mini John Deere tractor, enter into butter churning, milk drinking, hog calling and tractor pulling contests or see the stick horse rodeo.
To enhance Fairguests’ visit, each animal chosen for display has been selected with care. Some females will be shown particularly because they are in the birthing process. The chance to see the natural beauty of an animal give birth or the way a
mother animal cares for her baby is all part of the experience at FairView Farms Maternity & Nursery inside the Barn. Fairguests should also expect to witness the clever antics of pigs as they amuse themselves and stay cool.
Fairguests are always encouraged to interact with some of the animals in the
Petting Barn and can also participate in activities like guessing how much the big hog weighs or visiting Storybook Farm, composed of mini-sets based on animal folktales like “Three Little Pigs,” “Billy Goat Gruff” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” For example, one can visit The Three Little Pigs & Friends to learn information about different breeds of swine and the swine industry as the classic story comes to life with real animals.
Not to be confused with the Petting Barn are the petting zoo and the pony rides that can be found at Animal Adventures Unlimited at the Home and Gardens exhibit. Here, Fairguests will be able to pet and feed baby exotic and domestic animals as well as ride a purebred Welsh pony.
Among the highlights of The Big Red Barn are the vast displays, signage and
quick facts that can be found against a wall or next to a pen of animals. Each sign will help connect the visitors to the animals by sharing their breed name, how much they weigh, how far along they are in the birthing process, how many babies are expected and much more.
To give Fairguests a greater learning experience, there will also be signs giving information on the process involved behind livestock production. What types of byproducts come from a particular animal, how much meat or milk can come from a cow and why animals are important for everyday life are just some things that one might learn. FairView Farms Tours will also be available for Fairguests to provide information on gestation periods, problems that have occurred in birthing and so on.
Entertainment aimed for tykes can be found across The Big Red Barn at the
mini Ralphs Grocery store. Armed only with a kids size shopping cart and a shopping list, kids will be given the chance to shop to their heart’s content – with or without their mother’s help! This shopping experience will help kids learn about the five food groups and what types of things are grown on a farm. Charts with information on the food groups will be provided. The food taken off the shelves will be restocked for another shopping adventure.
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